The present invention concerns a cleaning card for magnet track card and chip card writing/reading devices according to the preamble of claim 1.
Cleaning cards for magnet strip write/read units, such as for example in money dispensing automats of money institutions and the like, are known and are for example described in DE-PS 35 38 223. In the case of such cards, there is found on one hand on a card shaped PVC-carrier, between two codable magnetic strips near the edges of the card, a cleaning fleece which upon insertion of the cleaning card into the concerned device slides on the magnetic reading head of the device and cleans it. This cleaning effect can be improved by the pre-application of a cleaning fluid to the fleece. In all events, the cleaning effect achieved in this way hardly meets today""s requirements. Moreover, such cleaning cards are practically not useful for chip card contact stations, since a fleece sliding along the contact springs which sense the upper surface of the chip is not suitable to effectively clean the contact spots.
In DE-C-1 96 22 287 a cleaning card is proposed in which a slide carrying the cleaning material is built into a carrier having measurements corresponding to the chip card, which slide after the insertion of the cleaning card into a writing/reading device can be moved back and forth to clean the contacts. This solution is expensive.
In the earlier non-prepublished International Application PCT/EP97/06409 a cleaning card of the previously mentioned kind is already shown which is suited by simple means to absolutely reliably and optimally clean both magnet track writing and reading heads as well as chip contact stations. In this case it is proposed that the length of the individual fibers of the fiber flock cleaning material on at least one of the pre-given surface areas on one or the other side of the card be different from the length of the individual fibers on the other surface areas, with the individual fibers on the different surface areas having the same or different diameters. Such fiber flock fields upon the insertion of the card into the involved device permit a quasi dipping of the magnetic track writing and reading head and of the chip contact stations to be cleaned into the thickly set individual fibers to achieve a corresponding deep cleaning by way of a brushing effect.
While these cleaning cards achieve a good cleaning of the reading head and of the chip contacts, in addition the transport rolls in the money dispensing automat or writing/reading device still have to be cleaned with separate cleaning means.
The invention has as its object, the provision of a cleaning card of the aforementioned kind which as well as making possible a cleaning of reading heads and/or contact elements at the chip writing/reading contact station, also makes possible a cleaning of the transport mechanism for the magnetic track cards and chip cards.
This object is solved in accordance with the invention by a cleaning card of the aforementioned kind having the features given in the characterizing portion of claim 1.
While the writing and reading head as well as the contact elements of the contact stations are cleaned by the fiber flock material the transport mechanism, that is the transport rolls or bands of the device, are automatically cleaned by the fleece material of the card carrier. Preferably, this fleece material consists of plastic fibers which are pressed dryly together without a binding material. This dry pressed fleece material has a high shape stability and does not change its mechanical properties if for example it is wetted with a cleaning fluid.
The length of the individual fibers of the fiber flock cleaning material can, as in the case of the above-described earlier embodiment, on at least one of the pre-given surface areas on one or the other sides of the card can be different from the length of the individual fiber of the other surface areas, with the individual fibers on the different surface areas having the same or different diameters.
For the cleaning of a hybrid writing/reading device which along with the magnet head for the reading of magnet strips and along with a chip station for the contacting of chip contacts on the chip card also has an optical sensor for capturing optical indications on the identity card, it is likewise practical if a first surface area is associated with the chip station, a second surface area is associated with the optical sensor and at least a third surface area is associated with the magnet head of the writing/reading device.
In a hybrid-writing/reading device of the previously mentioned kind, the optical sensor comprises a rigid block into which a sensing eye is set. This deeply applied sensing eye looks onto one side of the identity card and reads a security scrip not readable with the unaided eye. Because of the constructionwise deep setting of the sensor eye there collects in the region of the sensor eye heavy dirt in the form of dust flecks and dirt particles which originate partly from the cards and partly from the air stream coming from outside into the writing/reading device. The sensor eye can not be cleaned with a customary cleaning card which is only coated with a fleece since the fleece layer does not reach into the sensing eye. Contrary to this, with the cleaning card of the invention, which for the cleaning of the contacts and sensors has certain surface areas layered with a fiber flock, the sensor eye is reached and cleaned by the fibers. Advantageously in this case, the fiber length of the fiber flock material in the first and second surface area is about 6.5 to 10 mm, preferably 8 mm. The fiber strength in the first and second surface areas preferably is about 33 to 90 dtex, preferably 67 dtex. The fiber flock material in the first and the second surface areas works as a brush which not only cleans the contacts of the chip contact station but also reaches an cleans the sensor eye of the optical sensor.
For the cleaning of the magnetic head it is to the contrary advantageous to use a short fiber material. In this case, the fiber length in the third surface area is about 0.3 to 2 mm, preferably 0.5 to 1 mm. The fiber strength in this area is from 1.7 to 6.8 dtex, preferably 3.3 dtex.
The arrangement of the surface areas on the cleaning card depends on the construction of the writing/reading device, which on the other hand is directed to the reading of chip cards of a selected standard.
According to the construction of the writing/reading device it can be advantageous if the fleece carrier is connected with a grip section extending in its insertion direction. This simplifies the insertion of the cleaning card from the rear side of the device by service personnel or also by the user of the writing/reading device. The length of the grip section depends on the construction of the writing/reading device.
Optimally effective is a wet cleaning, for which the fiber flock cleaning material and also the fleece carrier itself is wetted with a cleaning fluid. This can immediately before use of the card be applied by spraying or the card can be dipped into a container of the cleaning fluid. Preferably, the cleaning card is enclosed in a tear open bag in the condition of having been moistened with a liquid cleaning material.
Further, the present invention concerns a method for the manufacture of a cleaning card for magnet strip card and chip card writing/reading devices in which a flat carrier having a fleece material and separable into several cards is partially layered with a soft cleaning material and as the case may be is also partially layered with a codable material.
This method is distinguished in accordance with the invention in that, as the case may be, the codable material is printed in the form of a screen printable pigmented color in several screen printing steps; then on at least one of the card sides pre-given surface areas for the cleaning material are layered in a screen printing step with a two component adhesive, for example a urethane glue; then, as the cleaning material, thickly standing individual fibers of pre-given length and pre-given diameter are inserted essentially vertically into the adhesive beds of the individual surface areas; then the flat fleece carrier with the layers is subjected to a drying process; and finally the non-attached remaining fibers are washed away.
Further, thereafter the flat fleece carrier can be cut to form several cleaning cards or cloths and the codable surface areas can be coded. Further the individual cleaning cards can then be moistened with a liquid cleaning material and each can be encased in a tear open bag.